Chapter 116: Ghost Operation

"An old Chinese medicine doctor?" I paused for a moment, then laughed as I realized, "So that guy actually believed me when I said the corpse poison had entered his liver."

Huang Xiaotao sighed, "But that won't do much. He's not going to get scared and just confess, right?"

"Wait!" Suddenly, inspiration hit me. Excited, I said, "Xiaotao, you're brilliant! Since we can't force him, we'll outsmart him!"

"How?" Huang Xiaotao asked, intrigued. I could see from her eyes she hadn't given up yet.

"We set a trap—bring his late wife back!" I said mysteriously.

I wrote out a list and sent Wang Yuanchao to prepare the materials. Then I called Lao Yao. He answered, "Little Song, I was just about to look for you. After thinking it over, I've decided to join your team."

Perfect — I thought. That saves us a service fee. So I faked an official tone: "Great timing! But you know, the task force isn't easy to join. You'll have to prove your skills."

"How do I prove it? Want me to hack into the Japanese embassy's servers and plant a Chinese flag?" Lao Yao joked.

"No no, details in person. Bring your gear and come over," I said.

...

I covered the phone and asked Huang Xiaotao if Lao Yao could come to her place. She nodded, "We can't go back to the police station now—let's make my place a temporary command center."

I sent her address to Lao Yao, who said he'd be there soon.

Wang Yuanchao went shopping while Huang Xiaotao and I headed to her home. We watched TV for a bit when Lao Yao showed up carrying bags of equipment.

"Are you planning to live here?" Huang Xiaotao asked, surprised.

"These are my tools of the trade," Lao Yao said, and immediately began setting up in the living room.

When he finished, I gave him an address and told him to hack into the company's internal network.

He didn't move at first. I urged, "Get started!"

Lao Yao laughed, "Little Song, you don't know the basics, do you? You gave me an address, but I need an IP address."

I facepalmed. How would I know the IP of Zou Wei's company?

"No worries," Lao Yao said. "I can get in through their official website." He typed quickly, streams of data flashing across the screen.

"Done. I used a data overflow exploit to take down their firewall. Their entire internal network is wide open now. Want to steal photos, videos, hack accounts—just say the word."

"Show me the surveillance!" I ordered.

A few clicks later, Zou Wei's company's internal cameras appeared on the monitor. Huang Xiaotao gasped, "This kind of hacking is real? I thought it was just in movies."

"It's nothing," Lao Yao bragged. I cut him off and pulled out a photo of Ma Xiaoli I'd printed earlier. I explained the plan briefly and told him to scare Zou Wei out of his mind by nightfall.

Lao Yao snapped his fingers and got to work.

On the screen, Zou Wei, sitting at his computer, suddenly fell back onto the floor, pale as a ghost. His monitor flickered, then flashed a bloody image of Ma Xiaoli's face.

The printer next to him started spitting out sheets of paper, each with the words "Blood for blood" written in dripping red ink.

Zou Wei screamed and grabbed the office phone. Lao Yao handed a walkie-talkie to Huang Xiaotao: "Ms. Huang, it's your turn."

"I don't sound like her," she protested.

"No problem, I'll fix that," Lao Yao quickly opened an audio editing program.

Huang Xiaotao spoke into the mic, lowering her voice, "Zou Wei, I'm back. Did you miss me?"

Zou Wei suddenly jolted, as if shocked by an electric shock. He threw down the phone and crawled under his desk. Lao Yao and I struggled not to laugh.

Huang Xiaotao continued, perfectly mimicking Ma Xiaoli, "Zou Wei, you will pay for what you did. You will pay!"

Zou Wei panicked and fled his office, gulping water from the water cooler. Lao Yao, picking at his smelly foot, said, "Let me show you the real magic."

Suddenly, the water cooler began to smoke. Zou Wei collapsed to the floor, screaming hysterically.

"How did you do that?" Huang Xiaotao asked, impressed.

"That's some electrical engineering I won't bore you with," Lao Yao said smugly, clearly loving his work.

I said, "The prelude is set. Now, you'll lure him to the office tonight, alone."

Lao Yao thought for a moment and got an idea. On the screen, a terrified Zou Wei asked the receptionist to check his office. She came back with a blood-stained note that read: "Meet me here at noon tonight, or lose your life!"

I praised Lao Yao hard; he soaked it up gratefully.

Huang Xiaotao asked, "So tonight, it's our turn to act?"

"Right. You'll impersonate Ma Xiaoli again."

"Wait!" Huang Xiaotao frowned. "I can fake the voice, but what about the face? It's too late to order a latex mask online."

"You forgot I can brew hallucinogens," I said coldly.

Night came. Huang Xiaotao, Wang Yuanchao, and I arrived at Zou Wei's company. Wang Yuanchao easily picked the lock, and I thought to myself—our skills could make one hell of a criminal gang! But, as they say, the law must stay one step ahead.

Inside, I told everyone to take a "Mingxin Pill," then sprayed a mist of "Dream-Inducing Powder" on the walls—this stuff, once inhaled, makes you susceptible to suggestions, trapping you in vivid hallucinations.

Huang Xiaotao changed into her outfit in a room while Wang Yuanchao and I set up projectors.

When Huang Xiaotao came out, we both paused. Ma Xiaoli was known for her style, and now Huang Xiaotao was in a revealing light green dress that showed off her slim legs and delicate figure. Her hair was braided with a pink bow, transforming her from a tough cop into an adorable girl.

"Hey, stop gawking," she teased. "How do I look?"

"Make your face whiter, darken your eye circles, and paint your lips blood red," I instructed.

"Won't that make me look like a ghost?"

"That's the point!" I chuckled.

"Alright, alright, got it," Huang Xiaotao said and went back to work.

Everything was ready. We hid in a corner, turning on the walkie-talkies. Lao Yao was monitoring back at Huang Xiaotao's place, with all company cameras streaming to us for instant updates.

While admiring Huang Xiaotao's figure, Lao Yao teased over the radio, "Yo, Song Yang, nice ass you've got there!"

I awkwardly shifted position, aware everyone could hear.

Huang Xiaotao covered her mouth and smiled, "You're enjoying the view from the bridge while someone upstairs is watching you."

I defended myself, "So vain, I wasn't looking at you!"

Lao Yao's voice came again, "I can prove Song Yang not only looked but just slipped his hand into his pants."

I exploded, "Damn it! Don't slander me like that!"

Suddenly, Lao Yao turned serious. "All units, target spotted—two people."

"What? Two people?" I asked, puzzled.